Dispenser for shower heads



1968 H. H. EELKEMA DISPENSER FOR SHOWER HEAD Filed Sept. 9, 1966 R m w m HERMAN H. EELKEMA ATTORNEQGS United States Patent 3,409,230 DISPENSER FOR SHOWER HEADS Herman H. Eelkema, 2121 Iglehart Ave., St. Paul, Minn. 55104 Filed Sept. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 578,289 3 Claims. (Cl. 239314) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable dispenser for use with shower heads including a plastic container having a plurality of pairs of plastic resilient legs integrally attached thereto and adapted to partially encompass a portion of a shower head and associated inlet pipe to maintain the container in a fixed position relative to said shower head, and adjustable plastic outlet means attached to said container for metering said material therefrom into the shower stream. The container and legs are formed integrally and the entire apparatus is formed of plastic to make it extremely inexpensive and disposable to eliminate the normal fixtures which become extremely unsanitary after long periods of use.

This invention relates to dispensers for metering bath oils, medicants, soaps, etc. into the water flowing from a shower head and more particularly to a completely disposable dispenser which can be conveniently attached to the shower head by means which form a portion of the dispenser.

In shower bathing as in any other type of bathing, the water has a tendency to dry the bathers skin. Many special medicants have been developed for use in a bathtub to prevent this drying effect. Also, in many instances special bath oils and medicants are utilized in bathtubs for other skin ailments. It is obvious that the addition of these bath oils, medicants, soaps and the like, can be added to'the bath water in a bathtub with no difiiculty, however, to add these materials to the water of a shower is somewhat of a problem. In the prior art various types of permanent clamps are attached to the shower head by some means, such as bolts or the like, which clamps have means therein for receiving a container with the material to be dispensed therein. In general, these prior art dispensers are limited to a specific type of container, and, in the event the bather wishes to change the type of material he is utilizing, the entire apparatus must be changed. Because the clamping devices and the actual dispensing outlet are permanent and reusable with each new container of material, they are generally costly and difiicult to produce. Also, after extended use, permanent or reusable items of this type have a tendency to become clogged with material which deposits therein, and the outer appearance has a tendency to become unsightly because of similar deposits.

The present invention includes a container having means permanently affixed to one end thereof for metering the material into the water flowing from the shower. The container also has permanently affixed thereto means for clamping the entire device to the shower head in the desired position relative thereto. In one embodiment of the clamping means a pair of resilient legs are positioned adjacent the rear of the container and adapted to partially encompass a portion of the inlet pipe While a second pair of legs are attached adjacent the front of the container and adapted to partially encompass another portion of the shower head. In general the pairs of legs are constructed of a resilient material which operates in a fashion similar to a spring to hold the container rigidly in place. Also, the legs may be adapted to spread apart a substantial distance to fit a variety of different sized 3,409,230? Patented Nov. 5, 1968 shower heads. In another embodiment, several sizes of pairs of legs are attached to the front of the container and the unused legs may be simply broken away and disposed of. In general, the container, the metering means, and the clamping means are all constructed of a disposable material, such as plastic or the like, so that the entire device may be burned or otherwise disposed of when empty.

Thus, the present device can be quickly and easily attached to a shower head with no additional tools or knowledge required. Also, when the material is used from the container the entire container and clamping means is disposed of so that a new and completely clean device may be attached in place of it. Also, the device is quickly and easily removed from the shower head when not in use. Because the device is easily removable and completely disposable, there is no unsightly clamping device on the shower head, the task of cleaning the shower head is minimized, and storage and refilling problems are eliminated.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved dispenser for showers and the like.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for showers and the like which is quickly and easily attached to or detached from a shower head.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for showers and the like which is completely disposable.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for showers and the like which is inexpensive to produce and simple to use.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a dispenser for showers and the like which eliminates unsightly clamping devices that have a tendency to collect deposits of soap and dust, and greatly reduces the task of cleaning the shower head.

These and other objects of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the accompanying specification, claims, and drawings.

Referring to the drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the figures:

FIGURE 1 is a view in side elevation of a shower head having the present device operatively attached thereto;

FIGURE 2 is an end view of the shower head and attached device illustrated in FIGURE 1 as seen from the spray end of the shower head;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view as seen from the line 33 in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a view in section of the metering means on the outlet end of the container of the device illustrated in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view as seen from the line 55 in FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a view in perspective of another embodiment of the present device;

FIGURE 7 is a view in side elevation of another embodiment of the present device, some parts broken away; and

FIGURE 8 is a sectional view as seen from the line 88 in FIGURE 7.

In the figures the numeral 10 generally designates a shower having an inlet pipe 11 and a shower head 12. A material dispensing device generally designated 15 is illustrated in FIGURE 1 operatively attached to the shower head 12 and associated inlet pipe 11. It should be understood that the type of shower head 12 illustrated is simply for explanatory purposes, and should not in any way limit the scope of this invention. As will be explained presently, the dispensing device 15 is adapted to fit a wide variety of shower heads with no additional adjustments required.

The dispensing device 15 includes a container 16, metering means generally designated 17, and clamping means generally designated 18. The container 16 is in the form of a hollow cylindrical bottle-like structure having an outlet 19 in the form of a neck with threads on the outer periphery thereof to receive the metering means 17 thereover. Referring to FIGURE 4, it can be seen that the metering means 17 includes a cylindrical cap having internal threads and threadedly engaged over the outlet 19 of the container 16. The metering means 17 also includes a second cylindrical cap 21 having an inside diameter slightly larger than the outside diameter of the cap 20 and adapted to fit thereover in substantially concentric relationship. The cap 21 is maintained concentric with the cap 20 and rotatable relative thereto by the cooperation of a circumferential flange 22 in the outer periphery of the cap 20 engaged in a circumferential groove 23 in the inner periphery of the second cylindrical cap 21. The flange 22 and groove 23 in the caps 20 and 21 allow rotary movement about the common axis thereof without allowing separating or axial movements. The cap 20 has a relatively small opening 25 in the end thereof adjacent the inner edge of the outlet 19 of the container 16, and the second cap 21 has a similar opening 26 therein positioned so that rotation of the cap 21 relative to the cap 20 will align the openings and provide a passage through both of the caps 20 and 21 out of the container 16. The size of the passage through the caps 20 and 21 can be varied by rotating the cap 21 with respect to the cap 20 to misalign the openings 25 and 26, respectively, therein. For convenience an arcuate groove 27 is provided in the cap 21 and a mating extension or pin 28 is formed integral with the outer surface of the cap 20 and engaged in the groove 27. The groove 27 and pin 28 serve to limit the amount of relative rotation between the caps 20 and 21 so that the openings 25 and 26 therein may be completely misaligned to close the passageway out of the container 16, but the openings 25 and 26 are always close enough so that a slight turn of the cap 21 at least partially aligns them. A nozzle 29 is integrally formed with the cap 21 on the outer surface thereof to direct the flow of material leaving the opening 26 at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the container 16. It should be understood that the metering means 17 illustrated in this disclosure is simply one embodiment utilized for explanatory purposes and should not limit the invention in any way. A great variety of metering devices might be provided with the container 16, and it is intended that all of these would come within the scope of this invention.

The clamping means 18 illustrated particularly in FIG- URES 1 and 3 includes a first pair of legs 30 integrally attached to the container 16 adjacent the rear end thereof, and a second pair of legs 31 integrally attached to the container 16 adjacent the outlet 19 thereof. While the two pairs of legs 30 and 31 are illustrated as being formed integrally with the container 16, it should be understood that one skilled in the art might devise other convenient methods for fixedly attaching the pairs of legs 30 and 31 to the container 16. The first pair of legs 30 are formed of a resilient material and partially encompass the inlet pipe 11. In general, the inlet pipe 11 of all showers has substantially the same outer diameter so that the first pair of legs 30 may have a relatively standard form. The first pair of legs 30 are somewhat arcuate and formed of a resilient material so that they may be spread slightly to allow the inlet pipe 11 to be engaged therein, after which the legs 30 engage the inlet pipe 11 tightly to prevent movement of the container 16 relative thereto. In a similar fashion the second pair of legs 31 are somewhat arcuate shaped and resilient to receive a portion of the shower head 12 therein. The material from which the second pair of legs 31 is constructed may be sufliciently resilient to allow the legs to be spread far enough to receive a variety of different sizes of shower heads therein. The first and second pairs of legs 30 and 31 are constructed to space the container 16 the correct distance from the shower head 12 so that water does not enter the nozzle 29, but the material flowing from the container 16 out through the nozzle 29 mixes properly with the water leaving the shower head 12. The first and second pairs of resilient legs 30 and 31 operate as a spring clamping device which allows the container 16 to be quickly and easily attached or removed from the shower 10, to change materials being introduced to the water, to replace the container 16 with a new container, to remove the container 16 for cleaning, etc.

In FIGURE 6 a different embodiment 15' of the dispensing device 15 is illustrated. All parts of the dispensing device 15 similar to the device 15 are designated with similar numerals having a prime added. Instead of a pair of resilient legs 31 clamping the dispensing device 15 t0 the shower head 12, a spacer 33 having an arcuate shaped lower surface 34 is integrally attached to the container 16 in the same position. The arcuate surface 34 butts against the upper surface of the shower head 12 and correctly spaces the metering means 17', including nozzle 29, therefrom. The rear or first pair of legs 30' engage the inlet pipe 11 with sufiicient force to prevent the dispensing device from rotating about the inlet pipe 11 or sliding axially therealong. Thus, the dispensing device 15' is constructed to operate in conjunction with any model or type of shower head.

In the FIGURES 7 and 8 a different embodiment 15" of the dispensing device 15 is illustrated. In the embodiment 15" all of the parts which are similar to the embodiment 15 are designated with a similar numeral having a double prime added. In particular, it should be noted that the embodiment 15" has an additional pair of resilient legs 35 integrally attached to the container 16" but positioned slightly behind the pair of legs 31". The pair of legs 35 define a somewhat larger opening therebetween for the purpose of receiving a larger shower head therebetween. In addition, each of the legs of the pair of legs 31" has a score mark 36 therein spaced somewhat from the lower edge of the container 16". The score marks 36 are formed in each of the legs in the pair of legs 31 so that the legs may be easily broken away in the event that the dispensing device 15" is to be utilized on a shower head which fits within the pair of legs 35, but not within the pair of legs 31". Thus, the dispensing device 15" is constructed so that it fits a greater variety of shower heads. It should further be understood that additional pairs of legs might be integrally attached to the container 16" to allow the dispensing device 15" to be applied to even a wider variety of shower heads. Also, the additional sets of legs, such as 35, etc., might be positioned at various angles with respect to the container 16" so that the entire dispensing device 15 is simply rotated to a diflerent angle with respect to the shower 10 so that the correct size of legs are engaged thereon.

In the dispensing devices 15, 15, and 15", generally, the containers 16, 16', and 16", the metering means 17, 17', and 17", and the clamping means 18, 18, and 18" will be constructed from the same material for convenience and ease in production. Also, this material will generally be of a disposable nature, such as burnable, etc., so that the entire dispensing devices 15, 15', and 15" are easily and conveniently disposable.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of this invention, further modifications and improvements will occur to those skilled in the art. I desire it to be understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular form shown, and I intend in the appended claims to cover all modifications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim: 1. A dispenser for use with showers and the like comprising:

(a) a plastic container for the material to be dispensed, (b) adjustable plastic outlet means attached to said container for metering said material therefrom, said outlet means being continuously adjustable between a closed and an open position, and

(c) at least two spaced apart pairs of resilient plastic legs forming an integral part of the container and adapted to partially encompass a portion of a shower head and associated inlet pipe to maintain the container in a fixed position relative to said shower head (spring clamping means) for removably attaching said container to a shower head and associated inlet pipe to allow the metered material to flow into and mix with water flowing from said shower head. 2. A dispenser for use with showers and the like as set forth in claim 1 wherein more than two pairs of resilient legs are integrally attached to the container with one pair positioned adjacent the rear of the container and the remainder of the pairs positioned adjacent the front thereof, said pairs positioned adjacent the front of the container adapted to fit difierent sized shower heads.

3. A dispenser for use with showers and the like as set forth in claim 2 wherein the remainder of the pairs of resilient legs have score marks therein for breakingaway the unused legs to prevent said legs from impairing the operation of the remaining legs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,225,951 12/1965 Poston et a1. 215-6 1,286,928 12/1918 Brooks 222-181 X 1,847,869 3/1932 Fawcett 239--314 2,625,430 1/ 1953 Murphy 222--57 2,647,797 8/1953 Moss 239-314 2,705,091 3/1953 Marchand 239-314 X 2,963,761 12/1960 Haydock 248360 X 3,052,417 9/1962 Daniel 222145 X ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. HADD S. LANE, Assistant Examiner. 

